Tuensang returnees sent without test confirmation

Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 26 (EMN): More than 170 passengers, who were among the stranded Nagaland citizens that arrived from Chennai on May 22, were sent to their home district of Tuensang from Kohima on Tuesday afternoon.

However, many passengers and organisations have flayed the government’s decision.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, the president of Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO), Kekongchim Yimchunger, confirmed that more than 170 persons who were quarantined since May 22 in Kohima, left for Tuensang on Tuesday.

“It was reported that samples were taken at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima but most passengers were sent before receiving the results,” informed Yimchunger.

He said that all returnees from Chennai as well as green zone areas from other states were kept together and sent to Tuensang district.

“Panic has taken over not only the passengers but also the public as they do not know whether those who have arrived are positive or negative,”said Yimchunger.

“How can they certify them to move to another quarantine centre in another district when the results are being awaited?” asked the ENPO president, adding that they ‘do not appreciate the decision at all’.

“We don’t want to spread the disease like wildfire and we want to give full support to the government during this pandemic,” said Yimchunger.

Informing that the passengers are arriving in Tuensang on five buses, the ENPO official termed the development as ‘very unfortunate’.

A passenger on one of the buses also spoke to this newspaper and informed that his samples were collected but the result is yet to be declared.

“We wanted to know our results and then leave because it is a huge risk; we don’t know who is negative or positive,” said the passenger.

He further informed that they left Kohima at around 1 pm and have since not been given any food, except for ‘chips and juice’.

A reliable source also informed that arrangements were being made to bring back the Tuensang-bound passengers to Kohima.

At the time of filing this report, the five buses were said to have ‘just arrived in Mokokchung’.

Several calls made to Health/government officials to confirm the news went unanswered.